Lukáš Parízek: “Cooperation potential with India is high. We are moving from words to deeds.”

26.9.2017 | Aktivity štátnych tajomníkov | Ekonomické správy |

The goal of the working visit by the Slovak delegation led by State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Lukáš Parízek, in India is boosting economic cooperation at inter-state as well as regional levels. State Secretary Parízek held several bilateral talks and introduced the delegation of Slovak business leaders from defence and energy industries on 26 September 2017.

“We perceive India as an important regional player with the ambition to increase its influence within the globalized world,” noted State Secretary Parízek in the introduction to the working visit and added: “This country has extraordinary economic and human potential.” And the role of the Slovak delegation headed by Parízek is to bring specific results from the working trip.

State Secretary Parízek discussed deepening bilateral relations with emphasis on the economic area with the Minister of State for External Affairs, V. K. Singh. A specific contribution is signing of the Action Plan for Cooperation between the Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing SR and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in New Delhi. This initiative fulfils the strategic partnership between the European Union and India. Harmonizing standards for industrial production, certification of products, quality control and patent law are components that have been included in negotiations of the future EU-India Free Trade Agreement. “The Slovak Republic, as an EU member state, is interested in making sure that communication at the expert level is professional and that we participate with our experience in harmonization of international legislation”, noted Parízek.

More intensive defence cooperation with use of the potential of Slovak businesses was the key topic at the meeting of State Secretary Parízek with the Indian Minister of State for Defence, Subhash Bhamre. The delegation led by the state secretary also includes officials from the Ministry of Defence SR and officials from Slovak companies for which the foreign affairs department prepared meetings and events to support their presence in the Indian market. The defence dimension of cooperation was also supported by SR’s National Armament Director, Major General Zmeko, during separate talks with officials from the Indian Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

Parízek also opened the Slovak-Indian Business Forum organized in cooperation with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). In his address he pointed out the successful tradition of collaboration in the machinery and armament industries. He noted that “Slovakia and India need to make use of such common platforms to establish contacts, exchange experiences and technologies and to identify new opportunities and accomplish business projects in progress.” The event, aimed at strengthening economic relations, was attended by more than 20 leading firms from India.